Fireflies
by Katherine Elisabeth Hood
Summary: A short one-shot in the Enchanted Forest. "She had fought the fiercest dragons with the mightiest of knights and slain the beast, countless times she had saved countless kingdoms from the Evil Queen, knowing that in the end, good would always win." Princess Regina wants nothing more than to be free. Established StableQueen/StablePrincess!


**AUTHOR'S NOTE:_ Hello there everyone! This is my first OUAT anything I've ever uploaded on FF, and some of you might actually know me from my previous FF account, Virginia Potts. I've written several Iron Man fics, but this is my first attempt at an OUAT story. :3 I hope you guys like this, and I look forward to uploading some of my stories with this brilliant character I've come up with, Katherine. ;) You guys will love her, I'm sure! _**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, simply the words that I was blessed to have written for you. OUAT is the property of ABC, and the characters belong to Adam, Eddy, and the brilliant cast of the show! **

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There was nothing like the feeling of the wind rushing through her neatly plaited hair as she moved with her horse, the movements so fluid it was almost as if she were a part of the animal. A perfect match, her father had said upon seeing his daughter with the steed she would fondly come to call one of her best friends. Rocinante cleared the final jump flawlessly, and Regina brought the horse to a slow gait."How was that?" A breathless grin appeared as she hopped from Rocinante, practically running into him. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She giggled softly, her cheeks tinged a light pink as his arms caught her around her waist so that she didn't knock the both of them into the dirt. If only Cora could see. She would be be horrified at the sight of the 'Stable Boy' holding her daughter like that. Dark brown hues were hopeful as they searched his face for some sort of hint as to how she'd done. When he finally broke into a wide grin, she beamed. A soft laugh fell from her lips as she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Thank you Daniel! You are such a good teacher." After moment she seemed to realise that it wasn't exactly the most ideal of positions, especially if her mother were to find them like this. Her pale cheeks were tinged a light pink, partly from the rate at which she'd dismounted Rocinante, part from their embrace. Quickly, she grabbed Rocinante's lead, walking slowly with Daniel, who was leading his own horse, back to the stables.

"You did splendidly Regina. Your father was right when he told me you were a natural. I have seen riders with twice your experience fail on that final jump. It was as if you became a part of Rocinante. Which is what a rider should be with his horse. Horse and rider should be one and the same." Regina's fingers tenderly stroked Rocinante's neck as they walked, a fond smile on her lips. When she was atop her horse, she felt so free. She felt as though she could do anything she wished, and that no one could stop her. On the ground she was weak, feeble. Raised a lady, Regina didn't know much other than what she had been taught. Which was to be a 'Princess", as her mother claimed. Cora seemed determined that Regina would one day be Queen, and as her daughter had grown, she'd becoming increasingly disapproving of the way Regina loved to ride. Her father, who was the kindest man she had ever met, had allowed her lessons to continue, he knew how Regina felt about riding. It was the one thing she could say that she knew well. She was smart, her quickness among her peers had always been recognised. That is, until, they would discover she was the daughter of Lady Mills. They automatically assumed she was just like her mother. And thus Regina's childhood had become rather lonely, and she spent her days either reading or riding, keeping to herself. Of course, that meant she was by far the fairest of all of the young ladies in the village, but that wasn't what she wanted! She didn't /want/ to be Queen. In all honesty, it sounded like the most ghastly punishment imaginable.

A small smile fell upon her lips as she continued stroked Rocinante's neck, Daniel's words causing her to beam proudly. "Thank you Daniel." They lead their horses into the stables silently. Regina led Rocinante into the center of the room and tied her lead to a post, preparing to brush her down and clean her hooves. Daniel had also been teaching her to take /real/ care of her horse, including mucking out the stall, an action her mother had strictly forbidden. So, of course Regina had proceeded to do it. She was so quick and decent at the job, that she no longer had to change clothes to do the job, and within ten minutes Rocinante's stall would be spotless, and there would not be a single speck on Regina's riding clothes. Though what no one knew of, with Daniel as an exception, of course, was the Regina was planning to escape. She had to get away from her mother if she ever wanted a life of her own. Otherwise Cora would follow her through her entire life, and Regina wouldn't have it. Freedom was something she longed desperately for, and she was to have, even if it meant that she could never see her father, or even Daniel, again.

"Have you ever been to Firefly Hill? At nightfall, I mean. I know we've ridden there during the day." Daniel's voice broke through Regina's thoughts as she brushed Rocinante down, being careful to avoid her horse's tender spots around her knees and tail. Being kicked by a horse wasn't the most fun of experiences. Though it hadn't been Rocinante that had done it, as Regina had been younger at the time, it wasn't something she wanted to relive at any point in the near future. She paused, looking up at him, finding him watching her over Rocinante's back. A small smirk curled up onto the corner of her lips. "No I have not. Mother does not allow me out of the house past dusk. She says that a lady can do no good in the dark." Though she spoke the words with confidence, the disappointment could be heard, ever so lightly. Regina had watched the stars from her bedroom window, or from the window of a carriage, but she'd never been allowed out to truly see them. Watching the fireflies from her window had also become a regular practise, her chin resting on top of her hands that were folded on top of each other, dreaming of the time when she would be allowed to dance with the fireflies in the moonlight. That had been her fatal weakness, in Cora's eyes, she supposed. Her imagination. Regina had one of the largest imaginations of any young lady she knew. It stemmed from her extensive hours spent curled by the fire in the library or in her bedroom reading. Her mind had then been allowed to roam free, away from her lessons, away from what was expected. She had fought the fiercest dragons with the mightiest of knights and slain the beast, countless times she had saved countless kingdoms from the Evil Queen, knowing that in the end, good would always win. Regina decided, that if one day, she was, somehow, forced to become Queen, that she would be fair, and kind. Much like the Queen now. But seeing as the Queen had a daughter, whose name had not yet reached this part of the land, Regina highly doubted that would ever happen, much to her own pleasure, as her distaste at being royalty had been more then expressed openly. The look of shock on Daniel's face caused Regina to break into a wide grin, and she bit down on her bottom lip, so that should her mother suddenly appear at the stable doors-as she had begun to do at the /worst/ possible moment- it could quickly be hidden by the somber and respectful expression Regina had learned to use whenever in Cora's presence. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, Miss Regina, I wish you to see the reason why it is called Firefly Hill. As night falls, the hilltop comes alive with thousands, maybe /millions/ of fireflies. It is by far the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. One has not lived until they have truly experienced this miraculous event. If your father might allow it, would you allow me to accompany you there tonight? You must have practise riding at night as it is, should there ever be a band of thieves or rogues that you have heard the stories of. I fear if you do not learn soon, you might be easily caught." Regina's smirk curled into a small smile, and ducked underneath Rocinante's neck so that they were on the same side of the horse, holding onto it gently. Her fingers tangled into Rocinante's mane for a few moments, and she pressed a light kiss to the horse's neck before returning her attention to Daniel. "I believe my father might approve of such a lesson. And who am /I/ to argue with orders from my father?" She was simply teasing him, as was her custom. He could tell by the spark in her eyes that she would love nothing more to be free in the night. Especially with him, though she would never say it. Daniel himself had found that as the years had passed, and he and Regina had become closer, that his feelings for her had increased a thousand-fold. And, should be allowed to come with him, he planned on telling her. Though he had no clue if she felt the same. She was to be Queen one day, or so he'd been ever so forcefully told by Regina's mother upon his arrival, almost as if she knew something that he did not. There were times Regina felt as though she were simply a pawn in a much larger scheme, and no matter how much she wanted freedom, no matter how much she wanted her own life, deep down in her heart she could feel that it would never be hers. But that most certainly did not mean that she wouldn't attempt to change her fate, because she had hope. She had hope, that as the heroes in her books, she too could one day change the path that had been laid for her. Her fate was /hers/, and hers alone, and she would not be defined by her mother's plans.

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_**I hope you enjoyed my little one-shot! Pure fluff, and I'm rather proud of it! Please, PLEASE press that little review **_**_button! A happy writer is a reviewed one. ;) And I might even give you an apple, if you're brave enough! Thanks! _**

**_~The Queen of Thieves {This will be my admin tag at the end of all of my fics.}_**


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